Friday, May 11, 2012

Remember watching the sunset with a s’more in your hand by the fire after a long day of riding bikes, swimming in the lake and playing flashlight tag? If you went to summer camp as a kid, you can likely reflect fondly on the experience. That’s the classic summer fun that The Salvation Army’s camps aim to provide for the kids of families who otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to go.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Last week, The Salvation Army of Eagle Creek, IN teamed up with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) and Marion University to celebrate an exciting new partnership called Project KNOT: Kids and Neighborhood Outreach and Training. The alliance was formed in an effort to keep kids out of trouble within the hours after school by providing them with a safe and structured environment.

Kids who take part in Project KNOT after school can choose how they want to spend their time, whether it’s working on their homework with help from instructors, participating in group activities, playing on the complimentary computers, or simply relaxing.

To celebrate the new community goal and to kick off the program, all three organizations (including several IMPD officers!) hosted a block party last week complete with food, games, prizes and The Salvation Army’s renowned giant Red Kettle Bounce House.

Check out the photos here.

“It was also a great opportunity to show the neighborhood and the people that we are willing to work with others,” said Captain Amos Shiels, Corps Officer at The Salvation Army Eagle Creek. “I am excited about what the future holds for Eagle Creek, and I am grateful to be a part of the ministry here.”

On the day after the event, 17 new kids showed up for the after-school program ready for fun and snacks. And now they need volunteers! If you’d like to help support Project KNOT by donating your time, please contact Captain Amos Shiels by calling 317-299-4454.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Don’t be fooled the next time you’re driving through downtown Billings, MT- you’re still in the city! The Salvation Army of Billings has recently planted 70 organic apple trees on the lot next to their building in an effort to provide higher education to disadvantaged kids.
The agricultural program is called the “Billy Boots Fine Arts Academy”. After planting and waiting, the kids participating will either sell the fruit or make organic apple cider. The profits are then saved to help pay for college in the future. The goal is to have 1,000 trees planted by 2014.

“That’s really the goal of this, we believe education is a great way, and maybe the most important way, to get out of poverty and break the cycle”, said Major Kevin Jackson, Salvation Army Executive Director.

The Salvation Army offers many opportunities to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of low-income and disadvantaged children. You can learn more by clicking here.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

The first official day of summer is only 1 week away, and most schools have either dismissed for the year or are getting ready to. For students, this means nearly 3 amazing months to play, explore, and just be a kid!

There’s nothing that greater epitomizes the summer experience as camp. Last year, more than 180,500 kids explored the outdoors, participated in sports, created arts & crafts, played music, learned about the Bible and more at our Salvation Army summer camps and day camps across the country.

Many camps are already in enrolling. You can register your child for a summer camp by contacting your local Salvation Army (search by zip code here) or a day camp by contacting a Kroc Center near you.

If you don’t have kids, you can help provide a camp scholarship to a child in need by donating to your local Salvation Army. In the article “Summer Camp Memories” published in the June 11 War Cry, contributor Laurie Miller fondly recounts The Salvation Army’s Camp Arnold at Timberlake in Eatonville, Washington, which she described as her “home away from home for seven summers” when she was growing up.

After explaining that many of her fellow campers came from broken homes and abusive family situations, Laurie writes:

“For years, I thought camp was just a free vacation I deserved as a child. Later, when I learned a fee was involved, I wondered how my mom could afford to send me each year. Not until I was an adult in my 20s did I realize that a woman from our church had sponsored us to go every year. I’m not sure she ever really knew how much going to Camp Arnold truly meant to me.”

As Laurie shows us, the experiences of a summer can impact the rest of a camper’s life. Whether you send your own child to camp or help to send someone else’s, consider how you can help The Salvation Army make a difference in a young person’s life this summer.

For more information about how The Salvation Army serves approximately 30 million Americans in need every year, visit our website at www.salvationarmyusa.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.